Matrix Games Forums

I think that Cross of Iron was a Great War Movie. It had it all.

But the other sequal Breakthrough was Crap.

As is the case with most situations, when a book is made into a movie, somethung is always lost. The book was a lot better than the movie. Read it if you can find it.

The real sequel to the book is another one called "Crack of Doom", which is a story of german units fighting partisans in Yuguslavia.
Great book, as good as Cross of Iron, give it a try if you really liked the former.

What other WWII novels are worth the read? I just finished "War of the Rats" and thought it was pretty good, but not the best book I've read. I like historic fiction, so I can learn a little but be entertained a lot.

There are 2 excellent books by Franz Kurowski, Infantry Aces and Panzer Aces that deal with Knight's Cross recipients. Some of the accounts are almost detailed enough to design scenarios by. For a totally different experience read King Rat by James Clavell. Deals with POW's in Singapore. Fictional but a very good read.

If you liked the battle of Stalingrad go read Enemy at the Gates" by Willian Craig
War of the rats is a story of the dual between those faggot snipers, and "enemy at the Gates" is the best book about the entire battle. It holds your breath.


Another excelent book is "Hitler Moves East. 1941-1942" by Paul Carrel , it tells the nazi invasion of the soviet Union with various small stories from small units. Like the story of a Sargent plus some 14 other men left behind the lines (much like Cross of Iron), and each man holding a MG-34. They defend a small village from endless soviet waves. The end....I will not tell. MG-34 cross fire is just frightening. hehehehe.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 51-2122235

"Panzer Commander" - The memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck. Awasome book, fought almost in all fronts, easy and enjoyable reading
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 51-2122235

"The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer . Memories of a front soldier. The best available. Excelent Book.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 51-2122235

Last one, i promisse "Gates of Fire: The battle of Thermopilae" . 800 Spartan knights defending the Thermopilae pass from 200.000 soldiers of the King of Kings, Darius himself. In my humble opinion the best book I ever read. But not WWII related.
"Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, That here, obedient to their laws we lie"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 51-2122235

Originally posted by Bunker22

Last one, i promisse "Gates of Fire: The battle of Thermopilae" . 800 Spartan knights defending the Thermopilae pass from 200.000 soldiers of the King of Kings, Darius himself. In my humble opinion the best book I ever read. But not WWII related.

Excellent! I just watched the History Channel's series "The Rise anb Fall of the Spartans." Very fascinating. Now I'd like to read the book you just mentioned. Do you happen to have the author's name?

Breakthrough

Sequal?

What happens in that? Is it based on any book?


Thanks

I placed the link there....
The Author´s name is Steven Pressfield.
Amazing reading !

best book I ever read.Sajer was seventeen serveing in the German army inRussian from 42 till the end.

Originally posted by boomboom
best book I ever read.Sajer was seventeen serveing in the German army inRussian from 42 till the end.

Yeah, in the "17th Bn" of Grossdeutschland. That book is fiction, entertaining, yes, but pure FICTION. Last I checked, there are 3 or 4 bn's in a rgt, not 17. The amount of glaring inaccuracies, especially in light of the fact that he claims to be a GD panzergrenadier, is just too many to be believed. He puts his division under the wrong commander, as part of the wrong friggin' army group, claims his supply convoy drove alone from Minsk to the Don steppe [that's what trains are for], passing an SS-Kompanie on the way to Stalingrad [oh yeah, there weren't any SS units in Stalingrad, oops], etc etc. Entertaining fiction, but no more. Almost as ludicrous as the Penal-SS-Panzer Battalion tripe that keeps finding a publisher...geez, it's almost like the editors of the tabloids write "military history" in their spare time.

J

ps: second the recommendation for Kurowski's "Infantry Aces". Truly gripping stuff. No one bleeds more or shows greater heroism day in and day out, than the infantry.

Originally posted by Bunker22
....War of the rats is a story of the dual between those faggot snipers....
[/B]

LOL!

Spoken like a true FPS player!

God, I hate playing games like Medal of Honor or Ghost Recon with Snipers.....

Any WWII fan would do himself a favor to read Steven Ambrose's books such as Band of Brothers, D-Day, Wild Blue, Pegasus Bridge, and Citizen Soldiers. His recent death was a great loss to military historians.

"<NyseriA> Things I've learned about war from videogames: If you find yourself mortally wounded by an enemy sniper be sure to let him know that he is a faggot."
- IRC Quote

Originally posted by Bunker22
"<NyseriA> Things I've learned about war from videogames: If you find yourself mortally wounded by an enemy sniper be sure to let him know that he is a faggot."
- IRC Quote

LOL!

It always makes me feel better as I wait to respawn....

Originally posted by rbrunsman
What other WWII novels are worth the read? I just finished "War of the Rats" and thought it was pretty good, but not the best book I've read. I like historic fiction, so I can learn a little but be entertained a lot.

"Unknown Soldier" - by Väinö Linna - superb book, in fact there is none better. Follows a Finnish MG company during the continuation war.

A Piece of Cake - by Derek Robinson - good book. An unglamorous story of some RAF fighter pilots from the begining of the war until the Battle of Britain.

Battle Cry - by Leon Uris, follows a few US Marines in the Pacific. Good book.




Guy Sajer's the Forgotten Soldier was a major disapointment. AFAIK it's BS.

Agreed on the Guy Sayer points here. Although it "might" be a nice novel to read, the discussion about the book is most controversial.

IMHO it´s made up bullshit. There are way better books out there:

For example:

Beyond the beachhead - Joseph Balkoski
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 6?v=glance

Pegasus Bridge - Stephen E. Ambrose
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 6?v=glance

08/15 (fictious novel, a three books series) - Hans Hellmut Kirst

The Bridge (autobiographical novel ) - Manfred Gregor


Just a few of many ....

Sajer was discredited a long time ago, one good thing about the nazi's they kept good records, however anyone remember the "similar" book about ex-ss fighting in Vietnam, great read but I never knew if it was true??

regards
Waylander

>>>
Sajer was discredited a long time ago, one good thing about the nazi's they kept good records, however anyone remember the "similar" book about ex-ss fighting in Vietnam, great read but I never knew if it was true??

regards
Waylander
<<<<<<<<<

Cannot cite a historical reference to substantiate that but I think it would be possible in this respect. I believe that there were former Wehrmacht soldiers who joined the French Foreign Legion after WWII. The Legion did participate in during the French-Indochina war.

Here is a reference from the French Embassy's USA website that substantiates the legions participation:

1945: the Indochina war began. Every Foreign Legion regiment was represented on the battlefield, particularly in Phu Tong Hoa, the Colonial Road 4, and Dien Bien Phu, where they fought to the last man.1945: the Indochina war began. Every Foreign Legion regiment was represented on the battlefield, particularly in Phu Tong Hoa, the Colonial Road 4, and Dien Bien Phu, where they fought to the last man. 1945: the Indochina war began. Every Foreign Legion regiment was represented on the battlefield, particularly in Phu Tong Hoa, the Colonial Road 4, and Dien Bien Phu, where they fought to the last man.
http://www.ambafrance-us.org/atoz/legion/history.asp


So it would seem entirely possible that former members of the SS fought in Vietnam.

John

Does anyone remember the "Gunner Asch" novels by Hans Helmut Kirst? They were a series about a dis-illusioned German soldier and his adventures on the Russian Front. They were written in the 60's and if you can find one now they are about $40 to $50 for a dog eared paperback. They were outstanding. Hans Kirst was an infantryman in the wehrmact and has some really interesting points of view. He is also so sarcastic, its hilarious. He also wrote "The Night of the Generals" which was made into a movie. The book about the SS in the RVN was called "The Devil's Guard" I believe.

"Night of the Generals" was a good show.....Peter O'tool I think.